Building

A Carpenter's Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work

By: Mark Ellison

Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

A visionary carpenter shares meditations on work, creativity, and design, revealing powerful lessons on building a meaningful life through his experience constructing some of New York’s most iconic spaces.

For forty years, Mark Ellison has worked in the most beautiful homes you’ve never seen, specializing in rarefied, lavish, and challenging projects for the most demanding of clients. He built a staircase that the architect Santiago Calatrava called a masterpiece. He constructed the sculpted core of Sky House, which Interior Design named “Apartment of the Decade.” His projects have included the homes of David Bowie, Robin Williams, and others whose names he cannot reveal. He is regarded by many as the best carpenter in New York.

Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work tells the story of an unconventional education and how fulfillment can be found in doing something well for decades. Ellison takes us on a tour of the lofts, penthouses, and townhomes of New York’s elite, before they’re camera-ready. In a singular voice, he offers a window into learning to live meaningfully along the way. From staircases that would be deadly if built as designed and algae-eating snails boiled to escargot in a penthouse pond, to the deceptive complexity of minimalist design, Building exposes the tangled wiring, scrapped blueprints, and outlandish demands that characterize life in the high-stakes world of luxury construction.

Blending Ellison’s musings on work and creativity with immersive storytelling, original sketches, and illustrations, Building is a meditation on crafting a life worth living, and a delightful philosophical inquiry beyond the facades that we all live behind.

This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF containing selected illustrations from the printed book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Mark Ellison (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Mark Ellison is known for building beautiful rooms, but here he has crafted a gorgeous book. This cross between Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Kitchen Confidential contains fascinating insights about working with your hands, the nature of talent, and how to create a meaningful life, whatever your craft is. Oh, and lots of juicy stories of pain-in-the-ass clients. Even if you aren’t handy—I can barely hang a picture frame—you’ll find this book a wonderful read.”—A. J. Jacobs, bestselling author of The Puzzler

“Who knew Mark Ellison’s handiwork would include a book this exquisite, purposeful, absorbing? Building merits reading and rereading—it’s a book with much to teach us all.”—Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Homeland Elegies

“Reading this amazing book is like listening to a very wise and funny man share the best stories in the world, wound up with wisdom, craft, and hard-won philosophy, and told with such eloquence. Clearly, Ellison had this book waiting inside him for years. I’m so glad that it’s out in the world, where it will find its readers for years.”—Burkhard Bilger, author of Fatherland

I am a reader of novels 

Book club read this book. There were some very important points about perseverance, preserving the past,  Self growth and using failure to grow. I listen to books while walking at the gym. Novels are easier to follow and keep straight.

Mehh

At times the memoir was entertaining and interesting, but sometimes not. The few insites tend to be underdeveloped. This is not one I will listen to again.

Don't bother...

After the first couple chapters. which I did enjoy. This book turns into his own long winded, personal, self righteous, complaint log. All the details of his complaints of all of his past jobs, and bosses, can be heard. one chapter at a time. I cannot find anything positive, or inspiring, after the first 2 or 3 chapters.

If you’re an architect, stay away from this book - there are already multiple other ways you’re undervalued

First, the salvageable: one persistent message in this book was to not let fear dictate your work. I agree and I could use some encouragement to fight the urge to use fear as an excuse to avoid doing my best or take on challenging work myself.
The balance of the book is a disorganized, rambling narrative of the author’s life and attempts at life lessons. “Hard work pays off” and “practice makes perfect” are good mantras but they are not new and have been expressed more interestingly and eloquently elsewhere.
Full disclosure: I am an architect - not famous, not even that talented, honestly - decent, at best. Admittedly, this will influence my appreciation - or lack thereof - of this book. I do take pride in doing by best in providing the most practical approach to clients - still meeting their needs and expectations in a pleasing presentation. Sounds simple, but it takes talent, patience, time, effort and pain. It is worth it, in the end.
I’m also guilty of judging others in the design and construction arena - dealing with owners, engineers/ consultants, product salespeople, regulatory agencies, inspectors, contractors, and so on, is never easy - often frustrating, actually. To minimize and oversimplify the architecture profession as lacking talent and knowledge of construction process as well as, mainly, being driven by ego, is not only unfair, but plain uninformed and offensive. I know a thing or two about construction methods and have, personally, met some architects who know a lot more and could teach a masterclass in constructibility.
Once in a while, I need to remind myself that everyone in the design and construction process has, likely, had a challenging journey, deals their own obstacles, and is, hopefully, doing their best to contribute constructively to complete the project.
As much as you think the architect has no concept of constructibility, I have, at times, reproached contractors for not understanding plans and, more often, for trying to dodge responsibility for what they bid in an attempt to sneak in a change order. I often succumb to accuse that if you didn’t fully understand the plans, you should have asked for clarification prior to providing a proposal (which should mean you agree to provide the represented design at the proposed price with your possessed ability). Sending a change order proposal during construction - because lack of attention prior to bid - helps nobody.
In the end, all participants are required. The more collaborative we are, the better the experience. The more judgmental and blaming, the worse. I, myself have a lot to learn still.
Perhaps my expectations were misguided in thinking this book would be more of an inspirational description of craft and collaboration. The best, most attractive, most practical projects require a rare symbiosis. Judging and blaming, the most common path taken, does not make that possible.
Know this: architects are generally tasked with immense responsibility at less than adequate compensation. We are usually undervalued and unfairly criticized (even amongst ourselves). Take that as whining, if you like - after all, it’s coming from an architect. Last thing we need is a book that oversimplifies our profession.
That was my rant as an architect.
For the rest, the book is not substantive, the stories, surely meaningful to the author, are not that interesting, let alone inspirational. It was difficult to finish - I like to finish what I start, painful as it sometimes is.
Would not recommend in general.
By Miguel (not Rebecca)

An ode to the author

I finished it. I’m glad it was on the short side. It was getting very old. And just for the record, I’m not an architect.